Willow lifted her head up from the glass she was leaning against and slowly took in the scene. They were just passing the huge Honey Springs sign with the famous waterfall illustrated behind the town’s name. Beneath it was the slogan ‘You’ll never want to leave’.
Except she had wanted to – once.
And Jake still never wanted to come back.
A warm feeling washed over her as they continued down the dusty road towards the town itself. Dotted on either side were the familiar houses that she had grown up alongside. They passed the town hall, the local grocery store and the bar. Willow pressed her face against the glass, wondering if she would catch sight of Greg, but the town was pretty much deserted. Her stomach tugged as they drove past the side street where her mom’s cabin had been. Jake’s dad, Eric, still lived there of course, right next door. That might be an area she would avoid.
Jenn turned the corner and pulled the car into the small parking lot opposite The Diner. Behind it was the extraordinary backdrop of the mountains. It still took Willow’s breath away. Willow couldn’t hold back her smile. This place really hadn’t changed at all, even the crooked ‘open’ sign in the window was the same.
‘I always loved this place.’ She sighed. ‘So, who’s running it now?’
Jenn stared back at her confused. ‘I thought I said. Didn’t I say before—’
‘What do you mean?’
But before Jenn could say another word, the door to TheDiner opened and out flew a very angry and red-faced Greg, heading straight for the car.
And behind him was someone that Willow could not forget in a hurry. Somebody who, judging from his dress, was clearly working at The Diner.
Somebody who had filled out a great deal in height and muscle, but whose brooding dark features were just as she remembered.
Her heart flipped for a moment.
It was Lucas.
Chapter 6
Lucas
Greg was really mad. In fact, Lucas had never seen his friend so wound up, but to be fair Jenn shouldn’t have taken his pride and joy without asking. That was just asking for trouble.
He watched as Greg attempted to call Jenn on the phone again. His face was so red in color that it looked practically cartoonish. Surely, it was going to explode at any second?
‘She’s not answering,’ he said finally, slamming his phone on the counter. ‘She could at least answer my call! Why is she not answering my call?’
‘To be fair, she’s probably driving,’ Lucas tried to reason. ‘We don’t want her crashing, do we?’
‘Yeah, not while driving my car! Which she had no permission to take.’ Greg was pacing the room now, pushing his glasses up against his nose. He was properly stressed. For once, Lucas was pleased that The Diner was mostly empty; apart from old Ernie from the bookstore enjoying his pancakes in the far corner, there was no one else that Greg could bother. This was the depressing norm at the moment, a fact Lucas was trying not to linger on. At least Greg was giving him some entertaining distractions.
Lucas wasn’t used to seeing his friend like this. They had been close since high school. Typically, Greg was the chilled-out one who barely said a bad word against anyone, while Lucas, on the other hand, had a whole list of people he’d like to curse. It was usually Greg that had to calm Lucas down, not the other way around.
But this was Greg’s beloved Buick – his pride and joy. Even worse, it was Jenn who had taken it. That was probably the last straw. Lucas knew there was no love lost between the pair of them.
‘What does she want the car for anyway?’ Lucas asked. ‘I thought she was leaving town this weekend?’
Greg shrugged. ‘She muttered something about picking up a very important person. The next thing I know Billy is gone. She didn’t even ask!’
‘Would you have said yes if she had?’
‘No – but that’s not the point.’ Greg slumped in a seat by the counter. ‘You know how wild she drives. If she gets any damage on the paintwork, I swear …’
Lucas smiled in an attempt to pacify. ‘Will some ice cream help? On the house?’
‘I’m not a ten-year-old child, Luc,’ Greg muttered, but then he lifted his head meekly. ‘Do you have any pistachio left?’
‘Of course. I always keep some by for emergencies like this.’
As Lucas busied himself filling a sundae glass with the biggest scoops of ice cream he could manage, he began to ponder who the very important person might be that Jenn was picking up. They weren’t exactly known for attracting celebrities here. The place was so sleepy even the birds struggled to stay awake. He just hoped Jenn wasn’t bringingtrouble to their door. As much as the town could use being woken up a little, it didn’t need another storm.
